-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The way some Republicans talk about the Environmental Protection Agency , you would think it was created by a bunch of pot-smoking hippies communing at a nudist camp in northern California -- when in fact , the EPA was created by one of their own , Richard Nixon , in 1970 .

Much as Republicans do n't like to bring up the huge tax increases instituted by their hero , Ronald Reagan , they prefer to sidestep their role in the EPA 's humble beginnings and blame it on Democrats . They characterize the whole thing as an albatross hanging around the economy 's neck .

To be fair , Nixon did not ride into the White House as a conservationist , and he did veto the Clean Water Act . But he said he did so because of the price tag of the policy , not its purpose . After the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969 -- which at the time was the largest in U.S. history -- Nixon agreed with the rest of thinking society that clean water and air were a good thing . And his fingerprints are all over such tree-hugging initiatives as the Clean Air Act .

Sadly , if he tried any of that funny business today , his own party would probably impeach him . That 's how far down the oil well some in the Republican leadership have fallen .

Rep. Michelle Bachmann said she would lock the EPA 's doors and turn off its lights if she were president -LRB- thankfully there 's no chance of that -RRB- ; Newt Gingrich said he would shut down the EPA and create a replacement to work with businesses to create jobs -LRB- making it more of a lapdog than watchdog -RRB- ; Rick Perry asked the president to halt all regulations , adding `` his EPA regulations are killing jobs all across America . ''

Many conservatives , such as Bachmann and Perry , refer to the agency as a `` job killer '' because of the regulations , and consequent operational costs , it imposes on businesses . I find the label rather odd , considering that research shows that poor air and water quality are people killers and without people , jobs are pretty much useless .

The Sierra Club , a 120-year-old conservation nonprofit , estimates that legislation administered by the EPA prevented more than 200,000 premature deaths from air pollutants , cleaned more than 2000 polluted rivers and lakes , and was instrumental in phasing out dangerous chemicals such as DDT and PCBs along with the poisonous leaded gasoline -- one of the worse inventions of all time , according to Time Magazine .

That does n't mean it 's an agency without controversy . The Sierra Club , in pushing for more progress , often criticizes the EPA for its shortcomings , and the agency was accused of suppressing a report that questions global warming . Still , how could anyone who has seen news coverage of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill -- the current worst oil disaster in U.S. history -- not want the federal government involved in protecting the environment ?

EPA critics such as Ron Paul suggest the states should be left to handle their own environmental issues -- an idea that could only come from people who have not had to stand in line at the DMV . Once you 've dealt with that and other state offices , the last thing you would want is to let the states go solo in handling the safety of drinking water .

And who did front-runner Mitt Romney cite to say that the EPA functioned better under George W. Bush than Obama ? Oil and gas executives . Talk about a classic example of someone completely lacking in the self-awareness department .

I guess for his next piece of news he 'll tell us evangelical voters believe in God .

Seriously , if Romney is so hell-bent on stating the obvious , he should bring up the provision in Bush 's 2005 Energy Policy Act that excused natural gas companies from telling the EPA which chemicals they were using to mine with , and say it was a mistake .

It 's not like that would be stepping out on a limb , since it 's been well documented that some people who live near gas-drilling facilities can now turn on their faucets and light the water on fire . I 'm not making that up -- rent the documentary `` Gasland '' and enjoy the pyrotechnic show . If you can .

I found myself getting angry as I listened to homeowner after homeowner share the details of trying to live a life breathing in toxic fumes because of the unregulated drilling . Think Karen Silkwood or Erin Brockovich . Or better yet , think Dick Cheney , the driving force behind W 's energy policy . Why Cheney ? Well , one of the companies making big profits from the natural gas drilling is his former employer , Halliburton .

And yet Republicans like Romney -- who as a governor , proposed plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions , and as a presidential candidate , backed away from such plans -- and his rivals talk openly about their disdain for the EPA , while pushing for the Keystone XL pipeline extension . The pros and cons of building a system that funnels crude oil into the U.S. are worth exploring . But doing so while plotting to dismantle the EPA reeks of capitalism run amok .

I severely doubt the EPA is running as efficiently as it should , and I 'm sure there are some regulations that need to reviewed by the science community . But the Republican notion that a federal policing of our natural resources is a waste of money flies in the face of common sense .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson .

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Republican candidates have sharply criticized EPA , called for it to be limited or shut down

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LZ Granderson says they 're ignoring the fact that it was created by a GOP president

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The EPA is credited with administering laws that have saved many lives , he says

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Granderson : Ending a federal role in enforcing environmental rules makes no sense